


Tiny Touches and Little Brushes

by princessdragonsun



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, I have been wanting friendship stuff only for a while, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Spoilers for the other games to-duh, These Characters Went Through A Lot, Touch-Starved Lea, implied/referenced trauma, strictly platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 13:06:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessdragonsun/pseuds/princessdragonsun
Summary: It's been a long time since anyone had touched Lea in a non-harmful way. Playful shoves were brief and were usually considered roughhousing so those didn't count. Affectionate or gentle physical contact was all but non-existent in the Organization. Hugs and cuddles ensue when his friends find out how touch-starved he is.
Relationships: Isa & Lea & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 40





	Tiny Touches and Little Brushes

**Author's Note:**

> This was half requested, half born of an idea of my own. I hope you enjoy this little one-shot!

Lea couldn't possibly count the number of times he'd been shoved around during his time with the Organization. He always shoved back, of course. Why wouldn't he? It was a place where, more often than not, it was kill or be killed, figuratively or otherwise. That especially counted to the more... mentally unstable members. Besides, respect wasn't exactly handed out freely. The expectation of nothing but painful jabs daily became the new normal. Until Roxas and Xion came along. They had offered something besides hostility. Axel had a chance at friendship again. He'd failed them, of course. He couldn't seem to keep any of his friends, now could he? He and Isa, or rather, _Saïx_ had drifted away from each other during their time in the Organization, Ventus vanished without a trace(off to take a decade long nap, it seemed), and Roxas and Xion rejoined Sora. Ventus wasn't necessarily his fault. _That_ went to Vanitas, or more specifically, Xehanort.

But that hostility had made Axel build a wall between himself and others for his protection. In his experience, physical contact was bad, it harmed. That was what he'd unintentionally told himself over the years. And after the end of the battle with the thirteen darknesses at the Keyblade Graveyard, it was only a matter of time before it caught up with him. Roxas and Xion were _very_ touchy-feely after they reunited, after all. Though Roxas denied vehemently otherwise. Yeah, tell that to all the hugs he gave him and Xion(and Isa if he was feeling generous). 

Lea made it awkward. He'd accept whatever contact his friends wanted, sure, but it was like his body didn't know what to do and he'd freeze up. There would always be this odd feeling in his chest that he couldn't identify even after having his heart back for months. That hug that he, Xion, and Roxas shared at the Keyblade Graveyard had been... a spur of the moment thing. He'd missed those kids, thought he'd lost them for good. And they were _there_, _right in front of him_.

When Isa had returned, Lea had been _thrilled_ and _nervous_. He wanted to hug his friend, that longing in his heart had been almost painful, the urge to reach out to him after so long. But he couldn't. His body wouldn't let him. So instead, he'd settled for an awkward pat on the back. Still not preferred, but it was the best he could do.

It took a long while for Roxas, Xion, and Isa to get anywhere _near_ comfortable around each other. But it happened, slowly but surely. Xion was the first to come around. They had gone out to get ice cream but Xion had dropped hers when some idiot bumped into her without stopping or apologizing. The suddenness of it and the fact that she'd lost her ice cream had very nearly brought the girl to tears. Then Isa stepped in and placed a hand on her shoulder, quietly offering to buy her another one. Xion had responded by impulsively hugging the blue-haired man, making Lea smile to himself at the sweet scene. Isa had a small smile of his own for the rest of the day.

Roxas was a little slower and mostly through Isa helping him in more menial tasks. And Lea and Xion subtly forcing them into conversations to get to know each other. The blonde was standoffish at first, and Isa accepted it and any other similar treatment from the boy even when Lea and Xion believed he was taking things too far. But once Roxas came to a silent and somewhat grudging truce with the blue-haired man, things began getting better.

Lea had been having a good day, no, a _great_ day! He got to sleep in, didn't have any nightmares of past traumas, Isa made a really nice breakfast, and the four were out, planning to spend the entire day just hanging out with each other. It was supposed to be a day dedicated to relaxing and having fun. And it was. But when they got back to the house and settled down to watch a movie together, Xion cuddled into Lea's side. He tensed upon contact and she noticed immediately, pulling away enough to look at his face.

"Axel, what's wrong?"

The red-head averted his eyes and tried to force his muscles to relax, "Nothin', Xi. I'm fine."

Isa observed him with narrowed marine eyes, looking at all the tells he presented, "Lea, are you unwell?"

Lea huffed a little, "I said I'm fine."

Roxas tilted his head, "Come on, Axel, you can tell us. Please don't lie," he said, grabbing his friend's hand.

Lea's chest constricted with the tell-tale feeling of the emotion he couldn't name, his body following suit. Isa took notice and stood to stand in front of him.

"Lea... Do you not like being touched...?"

Roxas took his hand back at the question, looking horrified at possibly upsetting Lea. The green-eyed man shifted uncomfortably under his friends' gazes.

"No, it's not that..." he sighed and scratched the back of his head, "I don't know why I get so tense... I want physical contact, don't get me wrong, but..."

"...it's uncomfortable," Isa finished for him and Lea nodded.

"Well, maybe you just need to be touched more to get used to it again!" Xion suggested and promptly cuddled back into him, ignoring the reaction it got.

Roxas nodded his agreement and joined in the effort by curling up on his other side. Isa didn't move even as the two youngest looked up at him questioningly.

"If you want us to leave you be..."

Lea rolled his eyes and would have dragged him down to join them if the kids weren't hugging them around their bodies, "Hurry up before I change my mind."

Isa hummed quietly in amusement and settled next to Xion. He slid his arm behind her and Lea before pulling them snug into his hold, Roxas following suit. They were positioned in a way that Roxas's head was resting on Lea's chest and Xion's just a little lower while Isa's rested on his shoulder, just barely reaching past the dark-haired girl. Lea's arms were trapped by Roxas's own and pinned between Isa and Xion.

"Is this all right?"

Lea's tension still hadn't faded and it was making him feel a little nauseous, "Y-Yeah..."

Isa seemed to notice and began gently rubbing soothing circles in the middle of his friend's back. It took several minutes but Lea found himself slowly relaxing, the nausea disappearing. While he couldn't guarantee himself to be all better from one little cuddle session, he could admit that he felt that longing to be touched satiated at the moment. The shared body heat and the sounds of his friends' breathing had him getting drowsy and his head fell lightly on Isa's, their red and blue hair blending together. He felt safe, loved, content... _comfortable_. Maybe... Maybe he could get used to it.


End file.
